Legends Revisited
by lelemar1
Summary: "She was not supposed to be here at all. And then, it all came back to her - Cyrus, the Spear Pillar, red chains, the creature dripping in shadows. All of it had been true: the myths and legends and whispers in the dark. Now, the myths had come alive before her very eyes and she was no longer safe from the words and ideas within those aged manuscripts." Distortion World, Platinum.


**A/N**: One-shot inspired by Platinum's Distortion World. Gameverse. No pairings.

* * *

**Legends Revisited**

She was not supposed to be here at all.

As Dawn came to her senses, she felt her heartbeat pulsating in her skull, aching, aching, aching, and a keening sound in her ear. _Good_, Dawn thought. At the very least, after everything that had happened, she made it this far alive.

But what had happened?

She tried desperately to remember as her eyes adjusted to the strange half-light of her surroundings. In the twilight, she could make out the billowing outline of tall trees against a swirling dark sky.

She finally sat up.

To her surprise, she realized she wasn't looking at the sky at all, or trees, but _down_. How could she be looking down when sitting up? Her heart beat quickened as she realized that she was sitting on the ground, the ground that was the ceiling of a platform.

And then, it all came back to her - Cyrus, the Spear Pillar, red chains, the creature dripping in shadows. She remembered with heavy dread the creature swallowing Cyrus whole, engulfing him in shadows and antimatter, dragging Cyrus and Dawn both into darkness. Her stomach heaved at the memory of the creature's dripping maws, dark and fearsome and glittering. She thought of its eyes, red and dilated and penetrating.

_The creature_, Dawn's thoughts raced wildly, as she looked around frantically for it. There was no sign of it here. There was no life or vegetation, save the swaying kelp-like trees.

Dawn stood up weakly, bracing herself against a small boulder that sat nearby: _Had it been there before? Or have I just now noticed it?_

Vertigo seized her as her mind raced to parse her surroundings. She squinted. The scale was all wrong.

It was like she was standing and yet not standing, held down by gravity yet weightless. Looking up gave her a headache and looking down hurt her eyes. She staggered forward from the rock, adjusting to the non-gravity and feeling of her own body within this world.

All of it had been true: the myths and legends and whispers in the dark. With awe and curiosity, she read those myths from hours on end in the Canalave Library and felt not a ray of fear. But now, the myths had come alive before her very eyes, and she was no longer safe from the words and ideas within those aged manuscripts.

This was the Distortion World - a place on the reverse side of the reality that bore her. Physics had no power here, laws could be bent, broken. From this moment onward, she was in uncharted waters.

In fear, she gasped and clutched her throat, wondering how she could be breathing and alive in a place like this. Though the trees were sickly and otherworldly, they nevertheless swayed and that brought her comfort. Though she could feel no wind or her own breath, she knew that, whatever laws of physics this place had declared void, she could still breathe. She could hear the sound of her feet, crunching against the sandstone. There had to be atmosphere down here, or something akin to it.

As she took her first steps forward, Dawn heaved.

The air was shot with heavy rage. What was this pressure she felt, this wrath?

Surely the shadowy pokemon was here, perhaps with Cyrus or what was left of him. If he was dead, why was she still alive? Or even here? Did this mean she had a chance to make it out, back on the right side of the world?

Dawn realized her questions wouldn't be answered if she stayed here - she had to continue forward into the Distortion World, even if the thought made her blood run cold. As she peered over the ledge, she realized that the world seemed to swirl downwards, and that more platforms spawned about ten, twenty feet below the one she was on. She had to press forward to see if there was a way down.

As Dawn walked forward into the sea of boulders and giant kelp, she blinked wildly as they materialized out of thin air.

The giant kelp and the stones crafted for itself a maze, depending on when and where she stepped. It reminded Dawn of strange flowers she had encountered on her pokemon journey: flowers that would shut and open at her touch, reactive to any outside stimuli. With each hesitant step forward, Dawn jumped in surprise as some stones would disappear, resuming their place as she moved onward. But when she touched the rocks or the kelp, they felt solid, fully real and present under her touch.

In dread, she realized that, though matter seemed to forge a path forward, it wouldn't allow her to return back from where she came. She had a sinking feeling of being ushered towards something, though she knew not what.

She walked forward for some time, and though platforms seemed to descend before her, she couldn't find a way further down – if there one could truly travel down in the Distortion World.

She sighed in frustration, putting her hands on her hips and assessing her next move. She thought briefly of jumping down from the edge – the drop from here looked like it was around ten feet. An ankle sprain from this height was likely, but at the worst, she could fracture her spine, depending on how she landed. The thought made her stomach churn, but alas there was no way forward. Perhaps, because gravity worked differently here, she wouldn't fall straight down but would float. It wasn't something she could exactly test, either.

But as she looked up, she caught sight of a shock of blue hair amidst the swaying giant kelp before her. A strange harmony of disbelief, dread, and relief assailed her as she ran forward to the man responsible for dragging her into this mess.

"Cyrus! You're alive!" Dawn cried, but then immediately checked herself – she was happy to see him and no longer be alone in this world, but he was still dangerous and unhinged. She had to keep her guard up, even if he was the only other human here.

The Team Galactic Leader didn't concede any emotion or surprise at seeing Dawn - his arms were folded, and his chin rested quizzically under his fist, as if he had been observing the world around them in deep thought.

To her surprise, he was relatively untouched, preserved from any visible injuries. His gaunt cheekbones and dark circles under his eyes, though sickly, were there before this whole incident. Finally, his face contorted darkly towards her, wrinkles forming around his eyebrows and eyes. She found it hard to believe he was only five years older than her.

"The shadowy pokemon isn't here," were the first words he said to her, "It abandoned me here, then disappeared somewhere farther down..."

He glanced towards the edge behind him. Dawn frowned.

"It left me back that way," she said, pointing, "I've been wandering for some time now. Have you found a way further down?"

But as Dawn spoke, she realized that Cyrus was talking rapidly, almost incoherently, under his breath.

"..._Was it content to merely interfere with my plan? My precious, precious, precious plan_?"

Fear set in again as Dawn realized that she was trapped in a sick realm with a sick man, still blathering maniacally over his failed plans. She placed a hand preemptively on her belt - to her sharp relief, her pokemon hummed hotly at her touch. As long as they were alive, they would fight to protect each other.

"Enough of this insanity, Cyrus! I'm not leaving my team to die down here, so if you won't help me, then stand aside," she commanded, pushing past Cyrus.

Cyrus' eyes flashed at this, and in a second, he grabbed her arm, yanking her back towards his body. Dawn's scream and the flash of white were one, as her lucario Kohaku erupted from his ball and pushed Cyrus away with a sharp, menacing howl.

Cyrus seemed to come to his senses at the blow and sound of Kohaku's growling, as his eyes widened, and he put his hands up defensively.

"I don't know of a way further down, I swear of it!" he yelled, shielding himself.

Dawn huffed exasperatedly.

"Fine," she muttered, "stand down, Kohaku." Her pokemon reluctantly backed away from Cyrus at her command, returning to her side but maintaining a watchful eye on Cyrus. Lowering his arms, Cyrus seemed to remember his scathing defeat hours before - if that's how much time had indeed passed - at Kohaku's hand. Cyrus then went back to his nonsensical blathering and began to walk around the platform. Dawn sighed, realizing that she would have been better off alone in this strange realm.

As Dawn glanced back down to the swirling void below, an idea suddenly occurred to her to have one of her pokemon fly her down. _If I am breathing and hearing sounds, there must be some sort of atmosphere in here_, she thought, _which means my pokemon could probably fly._

To test the theory, Dawn called from her side Ray the honchcrow, who seemed disoriented by their surroundings.

Once the bird pokemon came to himself, Dawn placed a steadying hand on his beak, "Can you fly, Ray?"

The honchcrow eyed her confusedly but with two sharp gusts, went airborne. Dawn and Kohaku cheered as their teammate hovered successfully in front of them before coming back down to the ground.

Dawn and Kohaku clambered onto Ray's back, as the pokemon took off again, flying to the platform below. As Dawn and Kohaku slid off his downy back, Dawn thought to herself that she wouldn't try to push her luck again with the dynamics and physics of this world.

"Good job, Ray. I'll call you out if we need you again," she said to her pokemon, who returned to her side in a flash. This new platform had the same strange kelp as before, and more boulders that created a similar labyrinth.

She glanced at the platform above to see Cyrus peering down at her. He didn't seem angry or afraid, but rather calculating, as if he took was contemplating jumping. She felt a pang of guilt at leaving him up there - she didn't know if she was responsible for getting him out alive with her, and if by leaving him, she would be morally culpable for his death. She thought made her shudder, and Kohaku placed a gentle paw on her shoulder.

"I...I can't leave him up there to die, 'Haku," she whispered. The aura pokemon sighed lowly, in reticent agreement.

But then, out of nowhere, broken platforms materialized in the air, connecting the two levels. With a humorless laugh, Cyrus stepped down the platforms like stairs, towards Dawn.

"What is this place?" Dawn murmured, eyes going wide. Cyrus seemed to ignore her again as he stepped off the final stair and unto the same level as Dawn and Kohaku. Kohaku inched his way in front of Dawn, shooting an arm out protectively. But Cyrus looked unconcerned.

"Incidentally," he began, "do you understand the concept of genes?"

"What?" she sputtered, but nothing about his face seemed like he was patronizing her – he looked at her with a frightening sort of intensity, as if he were testing her. She cleared her throat. "Yes."

"If it's true, you've impressed me," Cyrus snorted. Dawn blistered at his dig on her age and maturity - even here, on the brink of a void, she was still being talked down to and looked down upon for her age and experience.

"Genes can be considered the blueprints of all life-forms. That includes humans and Pokémon alike. Genes are contained in a DNA strand. A DNA strand consists of 2 chains of opposing characteristics in a spiral. If one of the chains were to be broken, the other could replicate it. One or the other cannot exist without its opposite. Do you understand where I am going with all of this?"

"Do _you_?" Dawn countered, eyes narrowing. Next to her, Kohaku huffed and Cyrus' eye twitched.

"This is a bizarre world. Time doesn't flow. Space isn't stable. Only that shadowy pokemon lives here. This world is the opposite of our world-our world I wish to change. It is like the two chains composing the strand of DNA. The two worlds must be balancing each other to remain in existence. Without one, the other cannot exist. The shadowy pokemon must play a role in keeping the worlds in balance. That is why it must have interfered and brought me here. The shadowy pokemon must have made this bizarre world. That's why trying to change our world disturbed it and made it reveal itself. But that is all irrelevant. What matters is defeating that pokemon and making this world disappear. I won't allow it to interfere with me again. With it gone, neither world will be able to revert to its original state...I am sure, sure of it..." Cyrus' sense and meaning degenerated further and further as he spoke, until he broke into a coughing fit.

Dawn reached out to help steady him, but he pulled away sharply. It was clear that, whatever the shadowy pokemon had done to them on Spear Pillar, Cyrus was not without consequences. Dawn hoped desperately she wouldn't experience the same fate.

Regardless of his clear insanity, Dawn recognized some truth to his words. This world, according to the myths, might indeed offer balance to hers. But nothing about this world or the myths of it seemed to suggest that the shadowy pokemon made it, or that its existence and presence is co-necessary of it.

"You don't know that our world will disappear," she countered hotly, "And besides, it doesn't matter, because neither you nor I will be defeating this pokemon. We just need to find a way to stop the distortion from spreading at the Spear Pillar."

Again, Cyrus was silent, and he continued to look around wildly, muttering and whispering. Dawn glanced around and this time, noticed spots near the edge similar to the one Cyrus had stood on to summon the platforms.

"These rock slabs, they appear to move or summon others if we step on a certain spot," Dawn observed, but as she turned to look at Cyrus, he was already gone. Kohaku's eyes widened in shock with Dawn.

"That's just great," she muttered, though she knew not to be too surprised. Cyrus made it saliently clear that he hated people, that he hated fellowship and love - the things that made life sweet and meaningful. How could she expect him to stick with her?

But as she turned back to the platform, the sky in front of her blipped to darkness and she felt a rush of icy air and the piercing shriek of a pokemon.

Kohaku reached out to shield his trainer as she crumpled to the ground, screaming. The piercing cry was more distant now, as the darkness flew down below her. Once she felt safe again, she opened her eyes and peered over the ledge.

"That was Giratina!" Dawn gasped, searching wildly for the pokemon below her. But as quickly as it came, it had disappeared, down, down, down into the depths below. Dawn turned to Kohaku.

"We have to hurry!"

As she shouted, the platform below her began to drift down like an elevator, opening her and Kohaku up to a completely new ground. She felt Kohaku's resolve burn brightly next to hers – with or without Cyrus, they were going to do their best to make it out of here alive. And even though the thought terrified her, her only hope at this point was to follow Giratina down.

_Why does this world exist? _Dawn thought as her and Kohaku hurried further down. _Can the distortion be stopped if the shadowy pokemon is defeated? _

She tried hard to recall the extent of the myths and fables she had read in Canalave – though now they were fuzzy in her brain for some reason.

_Why is Giratina here all alone?_

* * *

It's paradoxical to imagine a world where time doesn't flow with creatures and humans, who are bound by time, moving around in it freely. Dawn conceded that she couldn't wrap her mind around that mystery – for now, at least.

Some amount of_ time _later, Dawn and her lucario traveled down into the depths of the Distortion World, where they had encountered the spritely pokemon of the Lakes. Through their cries and gestures, they had each guided Dawn through an odd puzzle that required Kohaku's strength and power. Whatever it was, they were eager to show her something.

As the third and final boulder was pushed into its place, the Lake Trio flew close to her. Though Uxie's eyes were closed, Azelf and Mespirit eyed Dawn curiously – as if they simply wished to observe her, a human, up close.

"D-did we do it right?" Dawn stammered, locking eyes with Mespirit in the middle. The blue pokemon next to her glanced at his pink sister, whose eyes seemed to brighten at Dawn's voice. The tiny pokemon nodded in response and cawed kindly, as if to say _yes_.

Dawn sighed in relief – she had successfully obeyed their strange instructions, but a part of her feared as if she wasn't being tested by them, but by something else. She felt that nagging sense of being tested, guided, towards an unseen end. Even if these three meant her no harm, perhaps the shadowy pokemon did and was the one testing her?

But why her, and not Cyrus?

The three pokemon before her looked up suddenly, and with a cry, disappeared into the air. Dawn opened her mouth to call after them, but she heard someone, calling her own name.

"Dawn! Are you alright?" a clear voice called over the rift. Across the boulders and kelp, Dawn could make out the bright blonde hair and black dress of Sinnoh's Champion, Cynthia. She sighed in relief.

"Cynthia! How did you get here?" Dawn called as the Champion waded through the maze towards Dawn.

"I jumped through the void Giratina left after he took you and Cyrus. I'm so relieved that you're safe! Where is Cyrus? Where is Giratina?" Cynthia asked, looking around.

"I ran into him some time ago – he was so unhinged, Cynthia. He abandoned me and went somewhere else, deeper into this realm."

Though she frowned, Cynthia looked slightly relieved that Cyrus wasn't nearby.

"And Giratina?"

"I think he's disappeared further down, too. The pokemon of the Lakes were here just a few moments ago – they helped me solve a sort of puzzle. But I think they must have gone home…"

Cynthia hummed quizzically as she looked around.

"What's going on above? Erm, at the Spear Pillar, I mean," Dawn stammered. Cynthia's expression seemed to still in fear, and a frown knit her face.

"The Distortion is spreading. Slowly, but it's spreading. This is bad…"

Dawn frowned – she didn't know Cynthia very well, but from the few interactions they'd had together, Dawn detected true fear and panic on her face. Dawn had tried hard to also keep her head above the seductive waters of fear, but the Champion's panic didn't bode well for either of them.

Suddenly, the pair heard a screech – faint, but similar to the one they had all heard before on the Spear Pillar. Another platform appeared, this time, leading further down, to the last level amidst the swirling cloud-like atmosphere. Dawn and Kohaku both took deep breaths as they saw the black shadow reappear down below.

"I think we're getting close. Let's go on!" the fear from Cynthia's voice had not left, but she nevertheless blazed ahead. Dawn and Kohaku followed behind her, jumping from platform to platform, down to the final level.

Dawn nearly screamed when she saw it, and her body racked as she tried to stifle a shiver.

The pokemon who had once dripped in liquid shadows was exposed fully in the light of this realm, as if the realm itself was able to present the pokemon for what it was. With no pinions on its still wings, the creature somehow flew, suspending itself over the deep, swirling void. Its long, serpentine body was a tetrad of black, red, gold, and grey scales that glinted in the half-light. A gold crown topped its head – was it a crown, or was it a mask? Underneath its gilded coronet were two red eyes that seemed to probe and see all that was before it. Dawn tried to avoid its gaze, though she soon realized it wasn't staring at her – it focused entirely on Cyrus, who stood below it. He looked so small, so trivial, in comparison to this draconic legend come to life.

And then, she felt it. The rage, the wrath – it was here, this was its source.

It came to her attention that Cynthia had been speaking for some time – "So, you were already here! Why do you seek to change the world? If you hate our world you should just go off somewhere alone. Find somewhere where you can live without seeing others! But I'm not going to let you destroy our world at the advance of your insane vision!"

Cyrus' jacket had been discarded and his shirt underneath was dirty, disheveled. The crazed look in his eye magnified at Cynthia's reprimand, and he snarled viciously.

"Why should I run and hide from the world and have to wait quietly? My aim is to rid our world of the vague and incomplete thing we call spirit. By freeing ourselves of that, our world can be made complete. That is my justice! No one can interfere! I won't lose! Not to that shadowy pokemon! Not in any worthless world!" he countered, reaching for his waist.

At that, Dawn mirrored and reached for her belt, but just as she was about to call forth her pokemon, Cynthia shot her arm out in defense.

"Leave him to me. Go and face Giratina."

"Wh-what?! Are you joking?!" Dawn shrieked. Cynthia eyed her coolly and opened her mouth to respond, but Cyrus called forth his weavil and inched closer to Cynthia. Cynthia quickly called out her signature pokemon – a garchomp. The dragon pokemon looked equally confused as Kohaku and Ray did, but he seemed to snap out of it quicker as Cyrus' weavil charged for him.

"Atlas, dragon claw!"

"Cynthia?!" Dawn yelled, glancing fearfully at the billowing pokemon further ahead of her. Cynthia finally turned to Dawn, her eyes intense, but unafraid. When had she gained back that confidence, that courage?

"Make haste, Dawn! Giratina is enraged because the two worlds are endangered. It has merged the Distortion World and our world at the Spear Pillar. That's why both worlds are becoming distorted. You can reason with Giratina and show the tight bond you share with your Pokémon. Or you can battle it. If you succeed in doing either, Giratina will understand. The distortion of the two worlds will stop!"

At that, Cynthia was pulled into the fray, commanding her garchomp with effort and ease while Cyrus, half-crazed, half-focused, tried in vain to match the Champion of Sinnoh.

For a moment, Dawn was frozen in fear and in disbelief as Cynthia's charge hung in the air heavily – Dawn had battled Cyrus, countless times, and had won every single time. But never before had she to face the wings and maws of monsters from legends reborn. What would she face when, _if_ she battled Giratina? Why was she all of a sudden now charged with the greater task? As she ran forward from the battle, Cyrus' eyes followed her ominously though there was nothing he could do against two experienced trainers.

The gravity felt heavier down here, or perhaps her legs were getting weaker from exhaustion. With each faltering step towards the shadowy pokemon, Dawn winced as she heard the snarls and cries of the pokemon battle behind her. Like the ones before her, three more platforms appeared at the edge where Dawn stopped, staggered from each other and leading deeper into the void towards Giratina.

She looked down and gulped - now, there was nothing keeping her from the swirling abyss below. Who would catch her if she fell? Her legs wobbled with each shaky step she took on the floating platforms. To her comfort, Kohaku offered a hand to steady his trainer as they moved. And on the final platform, she finally looked up to meet her match.

Those red eyes that brimmed with rage peeled away from the battle and from Cyrus to apprehend the small woman below. Dawn felt Kohaku's step from out behind her to also meet the creature before them, Kohaku's expression stern and calculating. Its snarl and bared teeth had softened, and its posture - if one were to call it that - seemed to relax as it looked at Dawn.

The shadowy pokemon quietly eyed Dawn.

But the quietude was short-lived. From the depths of its being came forth another piercing cry, earning a startle from both Dawn and Kohaku. Dawn winced visibly, retracting into the arms of her partner, and braced herself for an attack.

But there was nothing.

She opened her eyes, reeling in confusion at the strange pokemon. Its eyes, its cry, were different than before. This pokemon's rage wasn't on her; it was receding, going out like the tide along with Cyrus' fading vision and plans.

She felt a fire return to her veins, and a new resolve in her core to make things right again. The right words to quell the beast - she hoped they would come. But, hadn't they always come to those unlikely heroes and heroines of the legends she had read as a child?

Dawn stepped forward. It was now or never.

"Giratina," Dawn called, finding her voice. It sounded like a stranger's voice now, more mature and sober. When had that happened?

The pokemon breathed coolly at the sound of its name - it was as if this was the first time it had heard its voice spoken aloud by a human.

"Please, please forgive us - forgive Cyrus for his meddling, and us for not acting sooner. Giratina, please help us set right the world again so that together, we all might live to see another day," Dawn pleaded. The pokemon was silent, still for a long while, but Dawn didn't break her gaze. The pokemon then lifted its chin slightly, as if to consider her request.

And then, it cried, but this time it was as if the great pokemon sighed in relief. Its icy breath covered Dawn like a wave, though it didn't chill her as it had before. Distantly, she heard the sound of something snapping shut, as if the bathwater had drained and closed behind it the plug. And then the air was still again, as an overwhelming quietude settled on them.

But the pokemon was still there, hovering, waiting, _gazing_.

Whatever evil and malice Cyrus had attempted to unleash, it was now over.

Tears poured from Dawn's face like a river from the mountaintops in relief and in the highest joy - for all of this pain, all of this grief, a deep, expansive smile graced Dawn's face. No matter how much destruction and evil Cyrus had wrought, nature was never fully spent. There was a deep sense of comprehension in Giratina's expression, as it locked eyes with the woman beneath it.

The sound of fast footfall soon followed, as Cynthia ran up next to her.

"Giratina seems to have understood us!" she cried.

"Yes," Dawn breathed, "I believe it closed the portal on Spear Pillar... Where is Cyrus?" Dawn asked, as she contemplated in awe the pokemon above. In her mind, Giratina almost seemed a bit nervous at Cynthia's arrival.

"Defeated, but he... he wants to stay," Cynthia's confession was enough to grab her attention.

"What, here?" Dawn gasped. A sad expression knit Cynthia's features, and she nodded solemnly.

"He told me that we were deluding ourselves. He's staying here so that he can learn the secrets of this world to one day create a new one, without spirit."

"But, he can't stay here with Giratina, in its home! And what of Team Galactic? He's just going to abandon them after everything he's done? He must come back and answer for his crimes!" Dawn seethed. Suddenly, Giratina cried and stretched its many wings, as if to agree with Dawn's point. Cynthia's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Silence settled again as Dawn's point hung between them. The shadowy pokemon seemed to eye them curiously, though Dawn could no longer decipher the meaning of its expression. Kohaku shifted besides her, tilting its head at the pokemon. Was it possible that they were communicating?

"...The places we are born. The time we spend living... The languages we speak... We are all different. But the presence of Pokémon unites us. We share our lives with our Pokémon and our happiness grows as we all become greater than we were alone. That is why we can befriend all sorts of people... and pokemon..." Cynthia murmured to herself, as if she were making a scientific observation.

"Huh?" Dawn frowned, turning to Cynthia. Unlike Cyrus, Cynthia's eyes were kind and composed, as something seemed to click for her.

"Dawn, this place and Giratina have both taught us so much today. Since there is sadness, we can feel joy. When there is anger, compassion is born. When there is evil like Cyrus, good always triumphs. If Cyrus stays here, he will no longer be a danger to our society - Giratina has made sure of that."

"I guess you're right," Dawn muttered, turning back to consider Giratina once more, "I suppose we could make Cyrus leave with us - but what good would that do? He wants to be alone forever and that seems like punishment enough to me. We should probably head back home, while we still can."

The Champion beside her hummed thoughtfully, and stepped closer, as if to get a better look at the pokemon.

"Well, the portal where Giratina is should lead back to our world. In the legends, Giratina was told as a being on the other side of our world. It stands to a reason that it has a link to the other side."

"Right, well," Dawn stammered awkwardly, before turning to Cynthia to whisper, "its blocking the way, though."

"So it seems."

Dawn huffed, "Well... what should we do?"

Cynthia's laughter rippled out, as she threw her head back in mirth, startling Dawn and Kohaku. The dragon pokemon before them tilted its head again curiously, as it were the first it had heard of laughter.

"Oh, I thought it was obvious?"

"What's obvious?" she countered flatly. Cynthia frowned, before turning to look at the shadowy pokemon.

"I think Giratina wants to come with you," she said finally. It was Dawn's turn to laugh, though this time without humor.

"What? How do you know?"

Cynthia shrugged, "Just call it a trainer's intuition, I guess. Do you have a pokeball on you? Where's your bag?"

Dawn turned to reach for her side bag, and then groaned, "Its back at the Spear Pillar. I took it off right before I battled Cyrus!"

Cynthia's frown deepened, "Well, this is a problem, as I also didn't bring any supplies here."

Kohaku, who had been silent for this entire time, suddenly nudged Dawn as he looked down at her pocket.

"What? Oh..." Dawn frowned, reaching inside the pocket of her skirt to pull out a small, purple ball with a white "M" embossed on the front. Cynthia gasped quietly beside her.

"Is that...?"

"A masterball - Cyrus gave it to be before he left for the Spear Pillar. In all of the mayhem, I must've forgotten to put it in my bag..."

Cynthia smiled brightly, "That strikes me as no coincidence. Well? What are you waiting for?"

Dawn opened her mouth and then closed it, as the words seemed to jumble incoherently again in her mind. The same sense of fear and smallness returned to her mind tauntingly as it had when Cyrus had talked down to her.

"I-I don't know," she confessed, looking up in contrition at Giratina, "I don't think I am ready to take you on."

"Why not? Giratina has chosen you, Dawn, and you've proven yourself worthy of its trust," Cynthia murmured.

"But all of those things that Cyrus said… and the myths I read about its anger and violence? What if I can't control it?" Dawn whispered in hushed tones to Cynthia, whose frown deepened as Dawn expressed her doubts.

"Well, I think you and I can both agree that being alone isn't the solution – Cyrus has gotten the silent, cold world he wanted, but will that truly make him _better _for it? This pokemon, for whatever reasons we may never know, has been here alone for some time. Perhaps, it too wants to share in life with others so that it may become greater than alone."

At that, Giratina cawed again, stretching its wings even further than before. Cynthia's smile stretched from ear to ear as she turned to Dawn again.

"You are a great trainer because the bonds you share with your pokemon demonstrate the goodness and strength of your heart. I think you should take Giratina with you, and maybe, we can put this all behind us," Cynthia said, stepping behind Dawn.

The masterball in her palm suddenly felt heavy as she stepped forward reticently. Cynthia's words and observations must've indeed had a kernel of truth to them, as Giratina didn't run or attack, but seemed to wait patiently for Dawn.

Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think she would meet, let alone capture, a legendary pokemon. As her initial shock and endless questions began to dissipate, Dawn cleared her throat to address the pokemon one last time.

"If what my friend says is true, then I would be honored to have you on our team, Giratina. In my world, there are laws and rules, and we strive to treat one another in love and with respect, towards the good and the true. The journey is not without hardship, but if you come with me, you will meet lots of pokemon and people. Hopefully, we will challenge each other to be better, stronger," Dawn stepped forward, readying the ball in her hands.

"Do you want to come with me?" she asked finally, but her words were drowned out by Giratina's assenting cry. Its icy breath left Dawn gasping for air and meaning as she threw the masterball soundly on the pokemon's gilded crown. The ball fell down to the platform, twitching once, then twice, and as it finally clicked to a close. She winced for a brief moment, in dull fear that Cyrus' prediction would come true.

But nothing happened.

The world was quiet, peaceful. The void below them kept churning, as it always would; perhaps that was the one thing stable about this alternate reality.

Dawn knelt to retrieve the now occupied ball, and she considered it in disbelief in her hands, cupping it as if it were fragile. The last portal to reality was indeed there as Cynthia said it would be, though it was small and constant. Cynthia then patted Dawn's shoulder kindly.

"See you on the other side," were her last words in this realm as she stepped into the portal, back to Sinnoh.

Dawn knew not when she had first met Cyrus that this strange string of events would unfold before her. She didn't know that when she accepted her starter pokemon from Professor Rowan that she would inevitably face a criminal syndicate and the monsters of myths and legends. The critic in her head told her that it could've happened to anybody – Lucas, Barry, any other trainer.

But she still said yes, even when she was unsure of herself and of her abilities. She still took up the call, the challenge, even in the doubt and questions. Her pokemon saw that resolve in their trainer, Giratina saw it too – why couldn't she?

Inside its pokeball, Dawn's newest pokemon warmed tentatively at her touch. She smiled and laughed softly, overcome by a deep sense of gratitude. Dawn couldn't have done this all alone, even if she was 'chosen' to save Sinnoh from Cyrus and from destruction. Cynthia had been right – it was in the fabric of her friends, her pokemon, that she could make a difference in the world and set things right. And Cyrus would never understand that only in the tapestry of community and fellowship can humans and pokemon live rightly, to the fullest expression of their natures.

As Dawn stepped back through the portal, with her newest capture at her waist, she did not fear the depths below, nor the heights above. She had her pokemon and her friends to lean upon, to make each other great. And that was enough.


End file.
